Guy Fieri to return to Columbus for Dispatch Fall Home Show & Pet Alley

Thursday

Aug 17, 2017 at 5:00 AMAug 17, 2017 at 5:50 AM

Julia Oller The Columbus Dispatch @juliaoller

Editor's note: Guy Fieri has been in Columbus at least twice since his birth here. The Food Network star apparently let the visits slip his mind during a recent interview with Dispatch Reporter Julia Oller.

When he stops in Columbus on Sept. 9 for an appearance at the Dispatch Fall Home Show & Pet Alley, however, he’ll be coming home.

Fieri, 49, was born at Riverside Methodist Hospital but moved as a baby with his family to the northern California town of Ferndale.

The successful restaurateur in 2006 won “The Next Food Network Star”m a reality-show competition, leading to fame on television — his calling card is the popular “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” — and at grocery stores, where he peddles a line of salsas and barbecue sauces.

Fieri recently spoke to The Dispatch in anticipation of his visit to central Ohio.

Q: You were born in Columbus. Have you been back since you moved to California?

A: Believe it or not, (despite) having all the cousins I have in Ohio, I have not been to Columbus. I’ve been to Cincinnati. I’ve been to Cleveland millions of times. My mom went to OSU; my dad went to OSU. Of course, we’re the West Coast representation and fans of Ohio State. . . . That’s one of the main reasons I’m coming — I want to see some of the places my parents went to when they first met and got married.

Q: Do you know where your parents visited when you lived here?

A: No clue. Riverside Hospital’s all I know. I’ve talked to my parents about it. ... There’s been quite a bit of banter. Ironically enough, OSU has a big game (against the Oklahoma Sooners), so I’m thinking I’m going to be hitting that as well. I tell people it’s my 49-years-due reunion.

Q: You started your Cooking With Kids initiative several years ago. Why are you passionate about family kitchen skills?

A: Let’s go to the beginning of it all. Our kids know how to ride a bike and tie a shoe and log onto the internet, a pretty unique profile of things our kids know how to do. What we have to look at is cooking is a life skill. Not everyone has to cook like I cook or the chef down the street. Just this summer, my son was asking for grilled-cheese sandwiches and I said, "Why don’t you make it?” Now he has the full ability to make grilled cheese. The pride he has when he brings me a bite and says, “You want to try this one? It’s really good” is the same pride they have when they bring their homework or (put) their art on the fridge.

Q: Do you cook with your own children?

A: As often as I can. One thing we have to remember about our kids and cooking is don’t give them a sack of potatoes to peel. They need to know how to peel a potato, but they want to do the fun stuff, the cool stuff. It might take a little longer, but you can’t keep the training wheels on the bike. Our rule in our family is you can either cook or do the dishes.

Q: You’re known for your “All-American” shows, but you spent time learning to cook in France. How have other cultures informed your food?

A: Fortunately, I’ve been exposed to a tremendous variety of food. When I was a kid in the '70s my parents were eating sushi — and that’s not something anyone had heard of. Our town didn’t even have a stoplight. Then I went to France and traveled through Europe and tried all kinds of food at 16. The way I cook is the way I like to eat. I know everyone likes to categorize it and say, “You’re the guy who eats the burgers and the hot dogs!”

Q: So you’d say at heart your roots lie outside American cuisine?

A: If you watch "Triple D" or read my cookbooks, it’s very ethnic. It gets categorized. You look at the style of a singer, and everyone wants to categorize it one way; but if you talk to them, you’ll find they have roots in country (and) R&B. My roots come from my parents, what we ate as a kid. We ate… a lot less barbecue than I do now. As much as people say “All-American,” I don’t try to correct them. I let them take it for what it is.

joller@dispatch.com

@juliaoller

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